Rev. F. James (Frederick James) Mulica

Summary of Case: Accused of sexually assaulting a 14 year old boy in 1981. The diocese paid the family $40,000, promised to keep Mulica away from children and the family, in turn, agreed not to press charges. Mulica was sent to an alcohol treatment center and, despite agreement with the boy's family, was reassigned to parishes with schools. Mulica is said to have left the priesthood in 1988, but as of 2009 he continues to be listed in the Directories as retired.

Ordained: 1967

   

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1967

Cleveland bishop was Clarence George Issenmann (1966-1974)

1971 St. Hyacinth's (Polish)

Cleveland

 

 OH

2/2

 

 Parish had a school with 237-203 students.

1971

Issenmann was replaced as bishop by James Aloysius Hickey (1974-1980)

1976 St. Bartholomew's Cleveland (Middleburg Heights) OH 2/3, 2/2 Parish had a school with 543-453 students.
1976 1977 St. John's Mentor OH 2/2  
1977 1979 St. Mary's Mentor OH

4/4

In residence

Parish had a school with 740 students.

1977

Anthony Michael Pilla succeeded Hickey (1980-2006)

1981 Divine Word

Kirtland

• Accused of sexually assaulting a 14 year old boy in 1981. The boy is said to have been doing yard work for Mulica when Mulica gave the boy beer and suggested they go for a swim in the rectory pool. The boy tried to run away when Mulica, who was naked, asked the boy to perform oral sex on him. Mulica then sexually assaulted the boy. (United Press International
July 12, 1987)

OH

1/1

 

Divine Word wa a Mission of St. Mary's in Mentor until 1979.

 

The boy's family stated that the church paid them in exchange for the family's not pressing charges, and with the promise that Mulica would be kept away from children. (Plain Dealer [Cleveland, Ohio]
March 10, 2002)

1981 1983 Released from Diocesan Assignment       Mulica was removed from Divine Word and sent to treatment after the incident with the boy in 1981. (Akron Beacon Journal [Ohio]
May 20, 2002)

1982

Detroit bishop was Edmund Casimir Szoka (1981-1990)

1983 Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Center Detroit MI Chaplain This was a 4-12 week residential treatment program for alcoholic men and women.
1983 1984         Mulica is not indexed in the 1984 Directory.
1984 1986 St. Jude Elyria OH 2/3 Parish had a school with 401-373 students.
1986 1987 Holy Redeemer Cleveland OH 2/2 School with 213 students.
1987 1991 Absent on Leave       Per news reports, Mulica was transferred in 1987 to the Little Sisters of the Poor convent in Warrensville Township, after inquiries from the media about the 1981 abuse allegations. Mulica was chaplain at the convent until his retirement. (Plain Dealer [Cleveland, Ohio]
March 10, 2002)

1991

Richard Gerard Lennon succeeded Pilla as Cleveland bishop (2006- )

2009 Retired       Per news reports, Mulica resigned from the priesthood in 1988 and moved to Arizona. (Akron Beacon Journal [Ohio]
May 25, 2002) He is last known to have been living in California, selling insurance and having founded an interactive internet ministry called Chapel of Light. (Cleveland Plain Dealer
April 15, 2006) He has continued, at least through 2009, to be listed in the Directories as retired.


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1968-2009)

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Mulica's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on Nov. 30, 2009